


I'd Take My Heart Clean Apart (If It Helps Yours Beat)

by CharlieCharlie616



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: But no ones dead, Everyone Is Alive, Fluffy, IronStrange, M/M, Post-Endgame, Some blood and stuff, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony is hurt and Stephen is helpful, We're still ignoring cannon, but nothing awful
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 10:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21613909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlieCharlie616/pseuds/CharlieCharlie616
Summary: After Thanos and the grand finale that was Endgame, Tony is left nursing magical wounds only a certain doctor-turned-sorcerer can heal.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Kudos: 21





	I'd Take My Heart Clean Apart (If It Helps Yours Beat)

The snap was near deafening to Stephen's ears. A moment he had been waiting for for nearly five years now, the sorcerer watched his foes crumble into nothing more than dust. A deathly silence fell over the battlefield, broken only by the dull _thud_ of a body hitting the ground. 

It was time. 

Heroes had already begun to gather around the broken and dying form of Tony Stark when Stephen got there, bounding over debris and shoving past the others. He muttered a few 'sorry's and ''scucse me's as he went, but his goal above all else was Tony. Nothing else mattered right now. 

Skidding to the ground, Stephen knelt in front of Stark. Peter was already there, begging Tony to hold on with a voice far too young to be so shattered. Pepper knelt at Stark's other side, holding his functional hand and watching his distant doe eyes with a teary expression. 

"Stark, I'm gonna need you to hold on," Stephen said, voice laced with panic. He nudged Peter and Pepper out of the way, offering a few quick apologies as he did. Muttering the beginings of many incantaions, Stephen set to work. 

The rest of the Avengers watched with held breath as Stephen placed a trembling hand against Tony's charred neck, hissing incantations as his fingers glowed a vivid gold only seen in healing spells. His fingers fumbled for a few seconds to remove several tiny, glass vials from his pockets. Uncorking them with his teeth, Stephen dripped the elixers over Tony's wounds. The Iron Man let out a broken hiss of pain as the elixers seeped in. His eyes barely seemed to register Stephen's movements at all. 

"Stay with me, stay with me," Stephen murmered over and over again, an old habit left over from days spent saving those unfortunate enough to land in his hospital. Another healing spell, another elixer. Another healing spell, another elixer. Already analyzing Tony's heart rate, Stephen noticed it speeding up, breath coming quick and shallow to the shattered hero. He was slowly coming back, but he was scared. Fear incresed the heart rate, heart rate increased blood flow- and blood loss, by extension. Stephen hissed profanity under his breath. He did _not_ come this far to loose now. __

_ __ _

"Breathe in and out, that's all you have to do," Stephen encouraged, fighting the panic in his voice. He applyed another spell with an unsteady hand to Tony's neck. Blood was everywhere, Stephen's hands, his clothes. But that was all part of the gig. 

_ __ _

Tony let out a shaky breath, trying to slow his rapid breathing. Stephen took ahold of Tony's hand, and as carefully as he could, Stephen pressed Tony's fingers against the Arc Reactor settled in his chest. At it's master's touch, the suit reatreated. Tony was left in a dark track suit, eyes widening as he drew in sharp gasps of air. 

_ __ _

"It was me, I've got you," reassured Stephen, waving one hand to cut open Tony's blood soaked sleeve. Peter, finally brave enough to approach again, crouched beside Tony. 

_ __ _

"Mister Stark, it's okay!" the spiderling encouraged with a teary smile. "Doctor Strange will help!" Tony's eyes fell to Peter, softening a little as his breath regulated. Stephen made a mental note to thank the kid later. Applying another healing spell directly to Tony's exposed arm, Stephen noticed he didn't flinch at all. 

_ __ _

Of _course_. How could he have forgotton? Stephen mentally kicked himself as he remembered this timeline's Tony only had one arm. 

_ __ _

The sorcerer grappled to remove a strip of the blue bindings across his forearm. Peter moved to help, untying the binding much quicker and more smoothly than Stephen's scarred hands could. God, that kid was a blessing. 

_ __ _

Mumbling a 'thanks', Stephen tied the strip of cloth around Tony's upper arm, effectivly using it as a tourniquet. Stark had no reaction to this, only watching Peter through cloudy eyes. 

_ __ _

"...Is he going to be okay?" Pepper asked, her voice uncharacteristically soft as she moved closer again. 

_ __ _

After another muttered incantaion and another vial -this one drawing a groan of pain from Tony- Stephen nodded. 

_ __ _

"He should be fine. But I need you to understand these are magical wounds, he will need magical healing and care." Stephen shifted to face Pepper, one hand still busy with one final spell. "I hope you don't mind me, you'll have to deal with me far more often."

_ __ _

Pepper shook her head, voice softer than Stephen had ever heard it. "It'll be fine. Thank you." She knelt beside Tony once more, brushing Tony's dusty, disheveled hair away, her touch lighter than a feather. 

_ __ _

"You're going to be okay," she said with a sad, but ever so sincere smile. 

_ __ _

Tony smiled back weakly. His chocolate eyes softened, warm and comforting. 

_ __ _

Stephen felt his heart grow a little tighter.

_ __ _

_ _\-----------------------------------------------------  
The Avenger's Tower in New York was logically, one of the last places Stephen Strange wished to find himself. He was not an Avenger, no matter how many times he would ally himself with them. Teamwork simply wasn't his style. Stephen was just fine by himself, thank you very much. But Tony... Tony would die without Stephen. The world needed Tony Stark, Stephen was certain of it. So there the sorcerer wandered, through the slightly dusty and echo-filled halls of the tower. _ _

_ __ _

Since the upstate compound had been destroyed, the tattered remains of the Avengers had gathered to stay in the New York tower until further notice. The place was still well-kept, albeit empty. Stephen's footsteps echoed unnaturally off the walls, the only sound in the near-empty tower. All the others were on recon missions, or rebuilding what was lost. Either way, Stephen was alone in a place he really didn't belong. Well, almost alone. 

_ __ _

With a steaming cup of tea in hand, the sorcerer gently knocked on the door to Tony's living quarters. He knew he wouldn't get a response, but Stephen thought it was polite anyway. 

_ __ _

"Tony?" Stephen called as he opened the door. He, as predicted, found the living room empty. Making his way to Tony's bedroom, he called out again. 

_ __ _

"Stark?"

_ __ _

A soft mumble was the response Stephen earned as he eased open Tony's door and stepped in, closing the door carefully behind him. 

_ __ _

"Hey, asshole," Tony greeted from his place on the bed, voice still cracked and broken. He was sitting up now, an improvement from earlier. 

_ __ _

"Nice to see you too, douchebag," replied Stephen, setting down the tea on Tony's nightstand. "How are you feeling?"

_ __ _

Tony attempted a shrug, and immediately regretted it. He hissed in pain, leaning over a little. "Fantastic. Never better."

_ __ _

"Let me see," Stephen said, sitting carefully on the edge of the bed. With a touch as light as his scarred fingers could manage, Stephen turned Tony's head towards him. Tony blinked slowly, used to this. It had become routine over the last week. 

_ __ _

Horrid burns covered the entire left side of Tony's face and upper body. His arm was gone, and one of his warm doe eye had gone silvery and blind. Nevertheless, Tony attempted a playful smirk. 

_ __ _

"Like what you see, doc?"

_ __ _

"I do. I wish it was less... barbequed."

_ __ _

Tony laughed humorlessly. "Me and you both." 

_ __ _

Brushing a feather-light hand over the burns coating Tony's shoulder, Stephen murmured a soft healing incantation. Tony visibly relaxed, sighing as he leaned back on his mountain of pillows.

_ __ _

"How's the pain? Do you need something for it?" Stephen asked, looking over the burns gently. Some places had opened back up, blood oozing slowly from the cracks in scabs. 

_ __ _

"Nah, I'll be good. I just need whatever voodoo you've got. That shit is _fantastic_."

_ __ _

"It's magic. It's supposed to be fantastic," Stephen chuckled, applying another spell to Tony's neck. 

_ __ _

Tony's eyes watched Stephen as he worked, the sorcerer could practically feel his gaze. "You know, I appreciate you," Tony said quietly. Stephen stole a glace at the former Avenger, taken aback by the sincerity in his seeing eye. "You've done a lot. For me. For the world. They're pretty damn lucky to have you."

_ __ _

Heart fluttering, Stephen avoided Tony's eyes as he leaned over to grab the tea off the nightstand. "I appreciate the sentiment, but they are much, much more lucky to have you. You're the reason they're all here, after all." Stephen, feeling brave, looked Tony in the eyes. "They need you, they all do. Not Iron Man, but Tony Stark. They're lucky to have someone so willing to give it all. So am I. My plan would have failed if not for your never-ending recklessness." Finishing his little pep talk with a playful smile, Stephen tried to re-lighten the mood. 

_ __ _

Tony returned the smile with a soft chuckle. "So you're good with words _and_ good with those magic hands of yours? Can it get any better?"

_ __ _

"I'm not sure, Stark. It depends on whether or not you continue to shamelessly flirt with me," Stephen said knowingly, offering Tony the tea after sprinkling in a few pain-killing spells. The sorcerer fought down his racing heart, thumping against his ribs like a frantic, caged bird. 

_ __ _

"Maybe. Maybe not. Could you like a guy with scars? People like scars, yeah?"

_ __ _

Stephen chortled, shoving down the butterflies in his stomach. "You sure seem too," Stephen said, turning his hands around to show Tony. 

_ __ _

"Damn, they were right. That's pretty hot."

_ __ _

Stephen laughed, a true and genuine laugh. "Maybe we can talk more when you're not charred and actively bleeding."

_ __ _

"I don't know," Tony said, wiggling his eyebrows. "I'm kinda digging the hot doctor thing."

_ __ _

"You can dig it more when you _aren't_ in recovery from yet another near death experience."

_ __ _

Tony sighed dramatically, tossing his head back. He winced a little, but recovered quickly. "You're no fun."

_ __ _

"Perhaps I can be more fun at a later date," Stephen said with a wink, standing to leave. Good God, he was getting brave with this. He hadn't felt his way in... well, a long time. 

_ __ _

Tony purred his response, voice cracking a little with just the right mixture of sarcasm and flirtatiousness. "Ooo, now you've got me."

_ __ _

"I'm fairly sure I already had you before, Tony."

_ __ _

"Well, you're not wrong."

_ __ _

Stephen just smiled, making his way to the door. He opened it, hand resting on it as he turned to face Tony for one last quip before leaving. "Drink your god forsaken tea, you douche."

_ __ _

Smirking, Tony raised the tea to his lips with an unsteady hand. "Whatever you say doc."

_ __ _

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovelies! It's been a little while, sorry about that. I hope at least someone's still interested in Marvel, I know I have nowhere else to go for now lol  
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one! I'm always open to critique or suggestions, feel free to leave them as you will!


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